Lawrence klinkek



L. KLINKER.

WHEEL LOCK.A APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1919.

Patented July 29, 1919.

N. SARL/ www UNITED STATES Application led May 8,

To" a/'u'iQ/n if muy conce/"1i Be it known that I. LAwiiExcE KLiNitER. a

i citizen of the Fiiited States. residing at San Francisco. in the coiiiitv of San Francisco. I n 5 n v btate of California, have invented a new,

anduseful Wheel-Lock: and I'do hereby declare 'the'following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the4 invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it lappei'tains .to make and use the saine.

The present invention relates to a device for preventing the theft. of automobiles and like vehicles. and has for its object to pro'- vide a device of this character which ein'- bodies` novel features of construction whereb v itcan be readily applied to the riin and tire of one of the wheels and will make it. practically impossible tor an 'unauthorized party toinove `the automobile or vehicle without attracting attention and making detection practically certain.

Further objects of tliepinvention are to provide an automobile theft preventing device of this character which can be collapsed ,in a small amount of space and easily carried from placev to place'when not in uses which can be quickly placed in lposition'or.

removed therefrom, and. which can not be moved or turned into an inoperative positionbv some subterfuge such as. deflatuing the' tires. Y I

l With these and otherobje'cts in view, the invention consists in certain novel conibiiiations and arrangements of the parts as Vwill more fullyfyappear as the description gproceeds. the novel features thereof being pointed outl intliefappended claims.

F oi' afull u iiderstanding ofthe invention, reference is tolbe ,had vto the following description and accompanying- -drawings. in whichtff'. jf w Y Figurel` is a side elevation'of the rear end of'A a conventional automobile, showing 4a wheel lock constructed in 'accordance with tlieinventioii applied tofone of t'he'vwh'eels.

Fig. :2 isla transverse ,sectional view through a portionof the tire.` and wheel iiin` `the wheel "lockbeing shown in -a position preparatory` to locking the .saine toA thel wheel, in side elavatioii.

' Fig. 3 is a transverse lverticalsectional Aview through the outer end of the 'l`ieel "'lock taken on the liuc 3.-?) ot' lig. 2. with the two shack-le bars lockedtogether.

.Fig/ 4 isa similar view with the flocking .WHEEL-Loox.

Specication of Letters Patent. l Iatente-;I

PATENT oEEioE.

Fig T isa detail view of ithe'hiiig d end ot thev device. showingfthe-spek" `engaging iarins. Y

i Corresponding and likeparts' are-referred 'to in the following description and/indicated in all-the views -of the' drawings by the saine reference charactei-sy'Y Forthe purpose of illustrationthe'y invention is shown as applietl'ito*'a"conventional vehicle wheel 1 which isY providedfwithr/the usual pneumatic tire The lockingdevice includes a pairof opposed afiidcomplemental shackle bars 3 wl-iiclij`aie `i'ovided at their inner eiidswitli coiiespondiiigyknuckles 4 for the receptionf'of aj pivot-bolti'csaitl shacklebarsbeing adapte'tl'to be clamped being Iprovided at their-Qoi-iter -1eiids with ointed liead's'whichjwill -vforni afwing pro- ]ecting radialhv yfrom Vthe tread Aof thetire when the device is iiigoperativeif position. This wing would act initialll. ichock to resist' rotation of the wheel; but eveiiftihough a suicient power `might be? ava'ilable 'l-to iiiove the automobile or vehicle'wvfit-h'tlietlielftipreventing device upon' the'whe'e'l.. i he 1' lially projecting wingl would;l be* periodically brought into engagement with tliefioad with each rotation of the wheelandcaiiselan irregular jumping i'iiotion offtl-ie veliicle-which would attract the atteiitio'i'ipf-aiivipa "er-by and render detection pi'acti'ial F urtherinore, the wing` "\`\'"oult`lfdigfnito the surface of the road at eachi'rev'oiii'tlijon of the wheel. thereby causing tli'ev'e-hi'cle tf'A distinctive track which' could befea lowed. 'i rI'he shacklebars 3 vare suitablfW c fit around the fellv zind'iti'iel'o'f the and to :engage the' sides lliereotl1 sifiiiglivv so 'that 'itwill be impossible yto'ro'tat the" device about the wheel and riiiitofbri-'iig vinto an inoperative positioii'at :one

ed to Athe wheel. The inner ends o'ftl ia ckle bars 3 are provided with terallv )reject- 'around thefell)v anditirefof the )v l'ieel'. and' vvlieel.

preventing device is placed position, thereby preventing any possibility of the device being moved peripherally upon the wheel. These spoke engaging arms 6 are preferably pivotally connected to the inner .faces of the shackle bars 3, as indicated at 7,

so that they can be swung into the space between the shackle bars when. the device is not in use, thereby avoiding'objectionable projections'from the sides of the device and en-- abling itto be easily packed and carried in the vehicle. The spoke engaging arms 6 are shown as provided with stop lugs 8 for engagement with the shackle bars to limit the outward swinging movement thereof and hold them in operative position while the device is' being applied to a wheel. These stop lugs 8 may fit within recesses 9 in the edges of the shackle bars 3- when they are swung into inoperative position.

' The outer end of the shackle bars 3 ter-V each 'other to provide a pointed wing which will project radially from the tread of the tire. The head 10 is comparatively thin,

while the head 11 is thick, the overhangmg end of each head being adapted to t over a shoulder 12 adjacent the opposite head,

and being provided with an inwardly projecting lug 13 for engagement with a recess.

14 in the said shoulder to hold the heads closely together and prevent lateral separation thereof when the shackle bars are closed around a tire. The inner face of the head 10 is formed with 'a recess 15 4which is adapted to be engaged by a transversely slidable bolt 16 mounted within a cylindrical recess 17 in the opposite head 1'1. This bolt- 16 is rigidly connected to a slide 18 terminating in a neck 18a which project-s through a small opening 17a in the front of the head 11, the sides of the neck 18a being roughened, as indicated by Fig. 4, so that the vneck can be readily grasped by the fingers tov move the slide and locking bolt 16. In the presentinstance thel'inner end ,of the slide is shown as formed with a tongue 19 which enters a recess in the locking bolt 16 and is rigidly secured thereto. The upper face of the slidev 18 is flatand has a sliding lengagement with a block 20 which is fitted within. the recess 17 and has a series of pins 21 slidably mounted therein. These pins increase successively in length from t-he front of the lock toward the rear end thereof and enter corresponding openings in the slide 18,said openings comf -municating at the lower ends thereof with -a key receiving slot 22 which extends longitudinally through the neck 18a and slide 18. These locking pins 21 are adapted to be lof the neck 18a, as indicated by Fig. 3, and when pushed into its final position forces the pins 21 upwardly 4against the action of thi` several spring arms 25 so that the slide can be pulled outwardly and the lock'- ing bolt 16 retracted into inoperativfliosition, as indicated by Fig. Ll. The two heads 10 and 1'1 of the shackle bars can tin-.n be swung apart, as indicated by Fig. 2, preparatory to applying the device to an automobile wheel or removing it therefrom. When the slide 18 is ywithdrawnthe lower ends of the locking pins 21 are received within clearance slots 26 which are formed in the top of the slide 18 and extend inwardly from the pin receiving openings. The spring arms 25 project from a base 36 which is secured by a fastening member 27 l to a flange 28 projecting upwardly from the end of the block 20, said block being rigidly secured to the end wall of the recess v17 in some suitable manner as by means of the tongue 29. lVhen the key 24 is fitted .i in the slot 22 of the slide and forced inwardly to bring the beveled shoulders 23 thereof into engagement with the pins 21, the latter are forced upwardly and disengaged from the slide 18, whereupon the latter can be pulled outwardly to retract the locking bolt 16 intoinoperative position. The key 2l can then be removed, and it will be obvious that as soon as the slide 18 is again pushed inwardly to move the locking bolt 16 -into operative position the pins 21 will be seated in their respective openings by the action of the spring arms 25. The locking bolt 16 is provided with an opening 30 which is normally in registry with a spring arm 31. The forward end of this springmrm is rigidly se -'red in position by the before mentioned'pin 27, and the spring arm normally rests upon a stop liange 32 projecting upwardly from the block 20. lVhen the locking bolt 136 is retracted the end of the spring arm 31 enters the recess 30, although it will be obvious that if this spring arm should be sprung out of registry with the recess 30, the end thereof will engage the back of the bolt 16 and prevent the 'latter from being retract-ed. The arm 31 extends over the top of the pins 21 and when the pins are lifted the vproper amount to disengage them from the slide 18, the spring arms 25 `which engage the upper end of the pins a inst bare-ly brought into engagement witn the spring arm 31. key is used and one ofthese locking pins 21 is forced upwardly a greater` amount than is necessary to release th'e slide 18, the spring larni 31 will be engaged and deiected up- However, if an improper eral movement upon the wheel.

j the locking bolt.

Vthe locking pins a Having thus described the invention,

what I claim'as ne and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A theft preventing device for automobiles, including. a pair of complemental shackle bars pivotally connected at their inner ends and shaped to tit around the rim and tire of a wheel.,` the outer ends of the shackle bars terminating in heads arranged to project radially from the tread of the tire when the device is in position, locking means between the outer ends of the shackle bars, Aand spoke engaging arms projecting laterally from the inner ends of the shackle bars for -engagement with one of the wheel spokes to hold the device against periph- 2. A. theft preventing device for automo* '-biles, including a pair ofA complemental shackle bars pivotally connected at their inner ends and shaped to t around the rim and tire of a wheel, the outer ends of the shacklebars terminating in heads arranged to project radially from the tread of the tire when the device is in position, locking means for connecting the outer ends of the shackle bars, and spoke engaging arms projecting laterally from the inner ends of the shackle bars and pivotally connected thereto so as to be folded between the shackle bars when the device is not in use, said arms being adapted to engage one of the `wheel spokes to hold the device against peripheral movement upon'the wheel.

3. A theft preventing device for automobiles, including a pair of complemental shackle bars pivotally connected at their inner ends andshaped to fit around the rim and tire of a wheel, the outer ends of the shackle bars terminating in heads arranged l to project laterally from the tread of the arm out of registry with the recessT be impossible to retract l which movesany one of y tire.. when the device is -in position thereon,

rthe shackle bars together, spoke engaging arms pivotally connected to the inner ends' of the shackle bars and adapted either to 'be folded between lthe shackle bars or swung outwardly therefrom, said arms then serving to engage one of the spokes ofthe wheel 4to hold the device aga st peripheral movement thereon, and stopl lugs upon the spoke engaging arms. for limiting the outward swinging movement thereof, the shackle bars being recessed to receive stops when the stop engaging arms are folded inwardly.

4. A theft preventing devicel for automobiles, including 'a pair of complemental shackle' bars j and each head having a shoulder at one side thereof for engagement with the free end of the opposite head, said shoulders being reocking means 'for holding the outer ends of.

pivotally connected at their i inner'ends and shaped to fit/around the rim cessed, lugs projecting from the free ends of the-heads for engagement with the recesses lto holdthe heads against lateral spreading,

and a pin mounted upon one head andarranged for engagement with the other head' to lock the shackle 'bars in a closed position. 5. A theft preventing device for automobiles, including a pair of lcompleme-ntal 4vshackle bars pivotally lconnected at their inner ends and shaped to lit around the rim and tire of a wheel, the outer ends of the shackle bars terminating in triangular heads which lit side by side and cooperate with each other to form a wing projecting from the tread of the tireiwhen the device is in operativeI position, a bolt slidable within one ofthe heads and adapted to engage the other head to lock the shackle bars in a closed positionand pin locking -means controlling the bolt.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses. p

LAWRENCE KLINKER.

Witnesses:

' JOHN W. NOBILE,

RALPH B. BRAN. 

